I am by no means an expert on music: I just love it. Music always knows what to say, how to act and where to be. Because I have spent so much time with music, I feel like I need to talk about it, share my opinions about it, write about it. So here it goes….

Let’s put aside the fact that the MTV VMAs have become incredibly irrelevant over the past few years, because they just award the same artists over and over. Let’s ignore the fact that they don’t even televise the awards that actually have anything to do with the creative aspects of the videos. Let’s forget the fact there was no mention of Prince or David Bowie during the live broadcast. Let’s also pretend to believe the MTV VMAs represent all music and not just pop and hip-hop. That said, here are some thoughts on this year’s show.

After years of interrupting acceptance speeches, hating on anyone that wasn’t Beyoncé, Kanye was handed a full 4 minutes to rant and rave about whatever he wanted. It was disguised as a prelude to the premiere of his new NSFW video “Fade” off 2016’s Life of Pablo. His speech was nonsensical ramblings for the most part (as expected) but I’m not sure what MTV was hoping for: he shocked no one, and bored everyone.

Slay, slay, slay. That’s all Bey does. Forget all her nominations and wins. Forget the fact that she gave a perfect 16-minute performance of snippets of her entire Lemonade album. Forget the fact everyone’s jaws dropped, and were left speechless. Forget everything you thought you knew about anything: Bey rules all.

Poor, Britney. In an attempt to revive her “career,” Britney Spears’ MTV VMA performance was slated as her big comeback. Except she had to follow Beyonce’s epic 15-minute explosion, and there’s no way she was going to surpass that. It didn’t help that Spears looked like old news, struggling to sell her sexuality. She performed her recently dropped single “Make Me” featuring no-one’s-ever-heard-of rapper G-Easy. Her outfit looked like something a figure skater would wear, and seemed to meander along the stage aimlessly, until G Easy showed up, which was her cue to grab his crotch. She needs to realize she’s not 16 anymore, and it’s not longer the 90s – no matter how much she wishes.

After essentially pouring his heart out and confessing his love for Rihanna, Drake went in for a kiss, and Rihanna so awkwardly dodged it. You could hear the viewers cringing, and Drake’s heart breaking all over the world. Why can’t Rihanna just love Drake back? Also: as if she got some sort of lifetime achievement award for her videos. As if.

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I started this blog nearly 5 years ago, with the intention of educating people on new music,and exposing them to sounds they may never have heard otherwise. The idea was to diversify, explore, get to know other perspectives; expand our minds so our thoughts don’t get stunted. I jumped into this full force, afraid that too many people were settling for only what was put in front of them. I wanted to show that it’s okay to be critical about music, and to demand better quality.

Music isn’t as polarizing as it used to be, and now more than ever, it has found a way to come together. Rap mixes with rock; hip-hop with country. It’s all over the place, and just goes to show that music really is just one sound interpreted in different ways, different styles. Musicians are more open, more accepting, more willing to experiment. They understand that working together is more effective than apart. I, too, have learned the same thing. As much as I have criticized a lot of music out there, I’ve realized there’s a time and place for everything. Moreover, music is incredibly subjective – there is no wrong answer (unless you’re a Chris Brown fan.)

One of the benefits of writing this blog, is not only myself learning about new music, but also figuring out how to explain it to people. Why I like/dislike a certain track/artist. Why one sound resonates with me more than another. It helps me organize my thoughts, form opinions not solely based on subjectivity, but also backed by facts. It’s a way for me to express myself, and it gives me a voice. Now I write this blog as much for myself as I do for others.

I’ve always been a music fans for all kinds of reasons, and writing about it is something I can’t stop doing. It’s become this obsessive passion, that I need to fuel whenever I can. That intense need, or desire, to put my trains of thought on paper, eventually led me to put together and publish my first book: Stan’s Jams. It revolves around music and how it plays a role in anyone’s life. It draws on the universality of music, and was inspired by how I feel about music.

The response to this project has been overwhelming. Never would I have imagined that so much positivity and enthusiasm could have come from this; people I barely know, excited to read what I wrote. People paying money to read what I wrote. People enjoying what I wrote.

When you create something out of love and passion, it shows. People can feel that beautiful energy and respond to it; I have to admit, it’s quite humbling. I didn’t write this book for fame and fortune; I did it for me, for music, and for anyone else who understands its importance. For those who have encouraged, supported and helped, I thank you a million times over.

What’s next? My goal is continue to write this blog, regardless of how many people actually read it. I want to continue to write about what interests you, so I’m always open to suggestions, comments, etc. I also plan to start a series called “My Date With” in which I deeply examine a past musician’s work and share my thoughts on it. Someone who I never really got around to listening to when they were big, and so will play catch up by immersing myself in their music. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime:

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Have you ever wondered why some celebrities seem untouchable? No negative media attention, no wind of any real scandals, and everything they put their hands on seems to turn to gold? There may be an explanation: it’s called the Illuminati.

Back in the Day

The original Illuminati, started up in the late 1700s, in Germany’s Bavarian regions. A secret society that was against religion, the state and any prejudice or discrimination. They were influenced by the Age of Enlightenment and Freemasonry.

The Age of Enlightenment was a 17th-century intellectual movement, that emphasized critical thinking, questioning, and science; while also putting up a fight against traditions and blind faith.

Freemasonry is fraternity of sorts, which originated in the 14th century, as a way for stonemasons to interact with each other. They had to be initiated in, and their frat houses are called lodges. They still exist, but ever since the 18th century, Freemasons (or Masons) have been thought to be more of an occult, a secret society (which they vehemently deny.)

They allegedly have ties to the KKK; they have been accused of Satanic tendencies and worshiping Baphomet – an aphrodite goat with Devil horns (not joking.) Plus some people think they murdered JFK and Whitney Houston, amongst others.

Sadly, the Bavarian Illuminati was banned in the late 18th century, so the current-day Illuminati applies to those who are descendants of or have ties to the original group. Conspiracy theorists have floated the idea around that these newbies have one main goal: to establish a New World Order (ie a singly governing body running the entire planet.) Which supposedly explains why Illuminati members would spread themselves in the most influential positions, including politics, entertainment or anywhere they can flex their puppet-master muscle.

Symbols

The Illuminati use them to identify themselves without having to “identify themselves.” You know, to stay true to the secrecy of their society and all. Devil horns or anything resembling them is apparently a “shout out” to Lucifer himself. Whether it’s the sign rock ‘n roll stars use:

Or the a-ok sign that gets thrown around every now and again:

Triangles are also a big deal. There are many interpretations of it, including the apex of the triangle representing the all-seeing eye ie Lucifer. Pyramids fall along the same lines as well, but are believed to represent the hierarchical structure of the Illuminati – the top is the leader, the most elite; and the pyramid fans out towards the base, which represents the commoners. Oh and one happens to be on the U.S. dollar bill. With an all-seeing Luciferic eye. NBD.

Many musicians have been branded as Illuminati members, however Jay-Z is most commonly implicated. He’s constantly throwing up a three-edged symbol with his hands, which he claims is a diamond representing his mega successful entertainment company Roc Nation. But let’s be real: it’s a triangle:

He has a song called “Lucifer”:

Jay-Z refers to himself as “Hov”; apparently short for “Jehovah”; ie the leader, ie the all seeing eye if you will. Not to mention, he’s successful at everything he does; every artist signed to his label does insanely well; and he married a Queen (Bey herself.) It’s kind of like he’s taking over the world or something….

Whether you believe in the existence of the Illuminati, or what they allegedly represent, it doesn’t really matter, because we’ll never really know.